S. Korea returns remains of 68 Chinese Korean War soldiers

INCHEON, March 20  -- South Korea on Friday handed over the remains of 68 Chinese soldiers, who died in the 1950-53 Korean War.

At a ceremony held at South Korea's Incheon Airport, the remains and related belongings were officially handed over to China.

The Chinese ambassador to South Korea, Qiu Guohong, covered the coffins with China's national flag, and a brief memorial service was held before the remains were flown home by a Chinese military plane.

The remains of Chinese People's Volunteers were excavated over the past year by South Korea.

Friday's handover was the second one after South Korea returned to China in March 2014 the remains of 437 Chinese soldiers.

The handover is a demonstration of the continued, sound and stable development of China-South Korea strategic partnership, Chinese Vice Civil Affairs Minister Dou Yupei told reporters after the handover ceremony.

According to an agreement between China and South Korea, the two sides consult every year on the handover of remains of Chinese soldiers found in South Korea. A handover is usually held before the traditional Chinese Tomb-Sweeping Day in early April.

The Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) fought side by side with the army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the Korean War against the South Korean army and U.S.-led UN forces. Tens of thousands of CPV soldiers died on the Korean Peninsula during the war, which ended in an armistice in 1953.